Breaking the Waves
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Denmark, Sweden, France • 1996
- Director Lars von Trier
- Cast Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgård, Katrin Cartlidge, Jean-Marc Barr, Adrian Rawlins, Jonathan Hackett
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel, HBO Max, Apple iTunes, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Alamo on Demand
A woman's husband, paralyzed after a neck injury, asks her to have sex with other men and then tell him about her experiences.
WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING?
A devastatingly slow build up towards apocalypse. The viewer is forced to imagine their own reaction to these circumstances without distraction.
If I had to describe Melancholia with just one word, it would be "haunting". This science fiction film takes a brutally real and up-close look at the reality of depression and mental illness. And although at times Lars von Trier's symbolism and imagery make melancholy look beautiful, it still does not distract from the overwhelming pain and suffocation of this never-ending struggle.
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Philadelphia Inquirer by Steven Rea